Feed means for forage crop wafering machine



Oct. 18, 1966 G. SOTEROPULOS 3,279,396

FEED MEANS FOR FQRAGE CROP WAFERING MACHINE Filed June 15, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. GUST SOTEROPULOS Oct. 18, 1966 G. SOTEROPULOS FEED MEANS FOR FORACTE CROP WAFERING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 15, 1964 INVENTOR. GUST SOTEROPULOS Oct. 18, 1966 G. SOTEROPULOS ,279,396

FEED MEANS FOR FORAGE CROP WAFERING MACHINE Filed June 15, 1964 4 heetsheet 5 FIG.7

INVENTOR. GUST SOTEROPULOS Oct. 18, 1966 G. SOTEROPULOS 3,279,396

FEED MEANS FOR FORAGE CROP WAFERING MACHINE Filed June 15, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR GUST SOTEROPULOS United States Patent ()fifice 3,2 79,3 9 6 Patented Oct. 18, 1966 $279,396 FEED MEANS FOR FORAGE CROP WAFERING MACHINE Gust Soteropulos, Ottumwa, Iowa, assiguor to Deere & Company, Molina, lll., a corporation of Delaware Filed June 15, 1964, Ser. No. 375,213 8 Claims. (Cl. 10714) This invention relates to a wafering machine for wafering forage crops and the like, and more particularly to improved feed means therefor.

A forage crop wafering machine is, to be distinguished from the conventional hay baler in at least two important aspects; namely, it operates at considerably higher pressures, and it provides products in the form of wafers that are considerably smaller than bales, are denser than bales and are therefore easier to handle for purposes of feeding, storage and transport. Like a baler, however, the machine is designed primarily for mobility so as to be capable of operating in a field of previously harvested and windrowed crops.

Such machine also differs significantly from the conventional pellet mill which normally handles relatively finely ground material in which the moisture content is substantially uniform, since it has been pretreated. As opposed to this, a field watering machine encounters material in which the moisture content varies from field to field and even from windrow to windrow, and this problem is especially aggravated when field patches of different materials are encountered.

One of the most successful approaches to the wafering problem has been a machine including an annular die having a plurality of uniformly circumferentially spaced cells radiating from an inner periphery or track over which one or more press wheels roll to extrude the material outwardly through the die cells for ultimate receipt by a conveyor or the like. It is known to feed the die track by an auger coaxial with the axis of the annulus and track, and it is also known that the auger flight or flights must be timed or otherwise related to the press roll or rolls so as to feed the material into the track just ahead of the press rolls. In a typical construction, the common axis of the die and auger will be horizontal, and it is found that the tendency of the material to gravitate to the bottom of the auger housing carries over into a tendency to gravitate to the lower portion of the die ring, with the result that the wafers were not extruded uniformly from the full circle of dies. That is to say, wafers were being formed largely in the lower sector of the annulus rather than uniformly throughout its circumferential extent. It was found in some cases, depending upon material, that the feed was inadequate to the die cells because of the tendency of that material to rotate without moving axially, except at lower portions of the structure, again aggravating the problem of extruding from only the lower portion of the die.

In copending application Ser. No. 253,410, filed January 23, 1963, these problems are to a large extent eliminated by means for controlling the flow of material so that it is distributed evenly to the die whereby the extrusion rate is substantially uniform throughout the full circumferential extent of the dies. This is achieved, primarily, by distributing means associated with the feed housing inlet in such manner that the incoming crops are in effect separated into different streams that are guided to circumferentially different portions of the die.

The present invention provides a still further improvement in the feed means, mainly by the addition to the rotary means or auger of feed elements or anger flights that prevent accumulations of crops between the auger and the crop inlet opening, especially at low-speed operations. In the prior construction, where the auger has but one long flight if one press roll is used, or two long flights in the case of two press rolls, the intervals between crossings of the inlet by the flights become too great. According to the present invention, additional feed members, in the form of shorter flights, are provided on the auger in circumferentially spaced relation to the long flight or flights and these operate to take in the crops and to move same into the housing for ultimate handling by the long flight or flights. In one form of the invention, the added flights may be of progressively different lengths.

The foregoing and other important objects and desirable features inherent in and encompassed by the invention will become apparent as preferred embodiments of the invention are disclosed in detail in the ensuing description and accompanying sheets of drawings, the figures of which are described below.

FIG. 1 is a perspective of a representative type of field wafering machine.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary section as seen generally along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a section as seen along the line 3--3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a section as seen along the line 4--4 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a developed or unrolled view of the feed housing, drawn to a smaller scale.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary section as seen along the line 6-6 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing a modifled form of construction.

FIG. 8 is a view somewhat similar to FIG. 2 but showing another modified form of construction.

FIG. 9 is a section on the line 9-9 of FIG. 8.

The machine chosen for purposes of illustration comprises a mobile support means or frame 20 carried on wheels 22 (only one of which is shown) and having a draft tongue 24 by means of which the machine may be connected to a draft vehicle. The direction of travel is toward the right as seen in FIG. 1. The frame carries a typical pickup means 26 which operates to deliver windrowed forage crops upwardly and rearwardly to a reversely wound precompressing auger 28 which in turn delivers the material rearwardly to a feeder house 30. The material is thence delivered rearwardly through a preliminary feeding means 32 to a feed housing 34 and thence axially of this housingtoward the left-hand side of the machineinto the iwafering means, which is located in the general area of the numeral 36 in FIG. 1. In a manner to be described below, wafers are formed and discharged ultimately to a conveyor 38 for receipt by a trailing wagon (not shown) conventionally employed with vehlcular trains of this type. The machine may be powered by any suitable source of power, such as an internal combustion engine, designated generally here at 40.

The feed housing 34 is here shown as of relatively elongated cylindrical construction, having a peripheral wall 42 rigidly secured at one end 44 to the wafering means 36 and closed at its opposite end 46 :by a radial end wall 48. Except in the area occupied by a feed opening or inlet 50, the housing is externally reinforced by appropriate axial ribs at 52 and radial ribs at 54. The feed opening 50 has upper and lower edges generally parallel to the main axis of the housing 34 and the area of the opening is such that it occupies substantially the lower forward one quarter of the circumference of the housing at the right-hand thereof. Stated otherwise, the feed opening may be said to occupy the area between substantially three oclock and six oclock.

The feed means 32, which is external to the interior of the housing, comprises a floor 56 which slopes downwardly and rearwardly and joins the lower edge of the 102. -ward the left hand side of the machine and is driven by feed opening 50, being substantially tangential to the circumference of the housing 34. The feed means 32 additionally has a top or upper wall 58 which is spaced somewhat above the fore-and-aft horizontal diameter of the housing 34. In addition to this, the means 32 has opposite upright side walls 60 and 62 (FIG. 3).

Carried within the housing afforded by the external feeding means 32, and forming part thereof, is a rotary device comprising a central rotor or shaft 64 on which is mounted a plurality of axially spaced arms 66 which stand out radially [when the device rotates, the direction of roation here being clockwise as seen in FIG. 2. The shaft extends exteriorly to the right of the means 32 and may be driven in any suitable manner, as shown in FIG. 1. The feeder house 30 contains a raddle feeder 68 carried at its upper end on a pair of sprockets 70, the direction of rotation of which is clockwise as seen in FIG. 2. The forage crop material picked up at 26 and augered at 28 to the raddle 68 is conveyed upwardly by the lower run of the raddle, between said run and an upwardly and rearwardly inclined floor 72, at which locus it is transferred to the rotary means 6466 for delivery through the feed opening 50 to the interior of the housing 34. Here again, any suitable means may be utilized for driving the feeder or raddle 68.

By means to be subsequently described, the forage crop material fed to the interior of the housing is moved axially thereof to the wafering means 36, it being noted that the feed opening 50 is offset axially from the watering means (FIGS. 3 and 4). The watering means comprises die means in the form of an annulus 74 to one side of which the housing 34 is coaxially secured, as by means of a ring 76 welded to the housing 34 at 44 and bolted to the annulus as at 78. The details of this phase of the structure are enclosed by a shield 7 9 in FIG. 1.

The annulus may be regarded as being made up of first and second coaxially spaced apart rings 80 and 82 and a plurality of uniformly circumferentially spaced generally wedge-shaped die blocks 84 which afford a like plurality of radial die cells 86, the inlet ends of which are located on what may be regarded as an inner peripheral track 88'. The bolts 78, previously described, may be utilized to hold the die blocks in place between the rings 80 and 82. The

inner ring 80 has an inside diameter substantially equal to that of the interior surface of the feed housing 34, and the 'other plate 82 has a similar internal diameter but is supplemented by a plate or ring 90 (FIGS. 3 and 4) which has a central circular opening 92 of a still smaller diameter, the purpose of which will be described later. To the left-hand side of the machine (to the right as seen in FIG. 4; to the top as seen in FIG. 3) the watering means 36 is supplemented by supporting structure which may be regarded as part of the main frame or support means 20 and which here takes the form of a peripheral ring 94 welded or otherwise rigidly secured to the supplementing plate 90 and closed at its end in axially spaced relation to the annulus 74 by a radial plate 96. The plate 96 may be Welded to the ring 94 and the whole may be further reinforced by gussets 98. It will be noted that the radial length of the die blocks '84 is such that their inner ends terminate radial- 1y outwardly of the inner diameters of the plates 80 and 82, thus affording some depth to the track 88.

The supporting structures 949698 carry centrally thereof a bearing 100 in which is supported an input shaft In the present environment, this shaft extends tothe internal combustion engine 40, which details are not material here, except to observe that the shaft rotates in a clockwise direction as seen in FIG. 2.

The theory of operation of a wafering machine of the type disclosed here is that means is provided for extrud- "determined by the cross sectional area of the die cells and lengths of random amounts, depending upon whether or not means is provided for breaking off the extrusion as they emerge from the die cells. In the present case, the die cells may be regarded as 2 x 2 x 6 inc-hes; although variations may be exploited in ranges above and below those indicated. Suffice it to note that the dimensions are such that the wafer is a relatively dense, compact product, therefore requiring substantially high pressures in the formation thereof. The means for effecting extrusion of the forage products through the die cells here takes the form of a pair of press wheels 104 and 106, mounted respectively on press wheel shafts 108 and 110 at diametrically opposite sides of the axis of the annulus and thus eccentric to the annulus axis. The press wheels are of such diameter that their peripheries roll substantially about the track 88; although, of course, there is an operational clearance provided so that the wheels do not exactly contact the inner ends of the die blocks 84. The press wheel assembly is carried for orbital movement about the track by carrier structure including inner and outer plates or checks 112 and 114, the latter of which is rigidly secured to the shaft 102, being of circular construction and bounded by an integral or otherwise rigidly affixed ring 116 which operates with relatively close running clearance within the circular opening 92 previously described as existing in the supplemental plate 90. This provides in effect a seal for preventing axial escape of forage crops to the right as seen in FIG. 4. The two press wheel shafts 108 and 110 are preferably rigidly secured to the checks or plates 112 and 114 so that they afford supporting structure for the other plate 112, which is likewise circular so as to afford a support for the rigid affixation thereto of an auger core or tube 118, which affords part of rotary means within the housing for accomplishing controlled feeding of the forage crops from the feed opening to the annulus 74. The end of the auger tube or core 118 proximate to the annulus 74 or track 88 represents an end which is adjacent the inner end 44 of the housing 34. The opposite end of the auger tube rigidly carries a supporting shaft 120, coaxial, of course, with the shaft 102, and journ'aled in a suitable bearing 122 in the housing end wall 48. The auger tube 118 in its area within the track 88, is cut out at 124 and 126 to accommodate the press wheels 104 and 106 respectively.

As a matter of structure detail, not material here, it may be observed that the auger tube 118 may be rigidly secured to the carrier plate 112 in any suitable manner, which is true also of the connection between the tube 118 and the shaft opposite to the input shaft 102. Likewise, it should be noted that the shaft 120 appears in FIG. 2 because the plane of the section passes just inside the outer wall as represented by the plane of the wall 62 in FIG. 3. It might also be noted at this point that the two press rolls could be replaced by a single larger one, as in FIGS. 8 and 9, to be described later.

The rotary means comprising the tube or core 118 includes material-engaging means in the form of one or more long blade-like elements, here two being employed at 128 and 130, diametrically opposed on the core 118 and each extending axially as well as circumferentially so as to partake of the nature of part of a helix about the axis of the tube. As best seen in FIG. 3, the element or flight 128 has a terminal end portion 132 lying just ahead (clockwise) of the press wheel 104. The terminal end of the flight or element lies, at 134, just ahead or clockwise of the other press wheel 106. The explanation for this will be best understood from FIG. 6 wherein it will be seen that, as respects the point of tangency between the press wheel 104 and the track 88, there is a feed-receiving crescent 136 ahead of the press wheel 104. In FIG. 6, this crescent will be counterclockwise of the press wheel 104, since FIG. 6 is seen from the side opposite FIG. 2, wherein the crescent 136 will appear in a clockwise direction from the press roll 104. A similar crescent 138 exists diametrically opposite the crescent 136 and occurs clockwise of the other press wheel 106. One of the basic principles of operation is that the rotary means 118128130 will function to move material axially to the track, the terminal ends 132 and 134 of the elements or flights 128 and 130 serving to distribute the material respectively ahead of the press wheels so that these wheels may compact the material into the die cells for ultimate extrusion therethrough as wafers.

According to the copending application referred to above, a rotary device such as an auger alone will result in uneven distribution of the material to the track, because of the effects of gravity. It is common knowledge that an auger will tend to move the material without substantial rotation, particularly in dry and fluent material. On the basis of that approach, it follows then that the material in this case would, without more, be delivered primarily to the lower portion of the annulus, particularly in that portion thereof represented by the area between six oclock and eight oclock. Little of the material would be forced into the remaining die cells, resulting in obvious disadvantages. The primary functional disadvantage is poor water quality due to varia tions in wafer density resulting from extreme variations of time in the die. Premature wear and other durability problems would arise from continual uneven feeding. This problem is eliminated, basically, by providing means for distributing the material relatively uniformly to the die track; or at least, distributing the material so that the upper die cells are utilized to substantially the same extent as the lower cells. In general, the basic idea of the copending application may be said to reside in providing a continuous flow of material to each press wheel via guiding the incoming material along adjacent paths to each of circumferentially different portions of the track by fixed means in the housing for effecting rotation of the material so as to effect uniform distribution to the track.

This fixed means utilizes one or more blade-like elements or ribs at least partially embracing the rotary means and extending substantially from end to end of the interior of the feed housing 34 so as to accomplish the desired result. Specifically, this means includes three spiral or at least partly helical ribs 140, 142 and 144. All of these ribs start generally in the area of the lower edge of the feed opening 50, as shown at 140a, 142a and 144:: in FIG. 7. However, these ribs have different termini, the rib 140 terminating at 14011, and ribs 142 and 144 terminating respectively at 142b and 14411. In FIG. 5, the line 146 at the top of the figure represents the radial plane at the junction of the housing end 44 and the track 88. It will be noted, therefore, that the termini 140b, 142b and 144b lie at this plane. Since the ribs are of different circumferential lengths and since they extend in substantially the same axial direction and in the same axial amount, it follows that certain of them will extend through a greater number of degrees than the others. For example, the rib 140 is the longest, making almost a complete revolution as it extends axially from the feed opening to its terminus 14Gb. That is why, in FIG. 5, the terminus 14% is seen at the opposite end, since the unrolled wall 42 is 360 in length, but the rib 140, starting at 14011, lacks a substantial portion of this length at the feed opening and therefore occupies the portion beyond the feed opening. This will be clear from the illustration in FIG. 3, wherein the portions of the ribs overlying the rotary means 118128-130 are shown in dotdash lines.

Stated otherwise, and using another approach, it may be said that all of the ribs start substantially at six oclock," with the rib 140 terminating at 140b at approximately four oclock, the rib 142 terminating at 142b at twelve oclock and the rib 144 terminating at 144b at substantially eight oclock. Variations in termini will of course depend upon factors such as speeds of rota- 6 tion, lead of the flights 128 and 130 on the anger, number of press Wheels involved etc. However, having the principles of the invention available, these can be determined empirically.

Looking again at FIG. 5, it will be seen that another feature is significant; that is, that the angle and lead of the flights 128 and 130 are chosen so that these cross the ribs 140, 142 and 144 at such angles that the components of axial and circumferential movements are substantially equal. This assures that the material will rotate as well as move axially, which leads to the substantially uniform distribution of forage crop material obtained at the track. In FIG. 5, the auger flight 128 is chosen for purposes of illustration and is indicated by the inclined dot-dash line. In the present case, on the basis of selected speed of the rotary means and diameter of the core 118, together with the inside diameter of the auger housing wall 42, each flight 128 and 130 progresses less than halfway around the tube 11-8 as it extends axially of the length of the tube. By way of example, the outside diameter of the core 118 may be on the order of 24 inches, with the die track 88 having a diameter of 36 inches. The interior diameter of the housing 34 is 34 inches, and each of the press wheels has a diameter of 17 inches. Using ribs such as those shown at 140, 142 and 144 of a radial dimension of 1% inches and allowing for a clearance between the flights 128 and 130 and the ribs 140, 142 and 144, the flights may have a 96 inch lead with a core length of approximately 30 inches. The flights 128 and 130, as they cross the center rib 142 will intersect same at an angle of approximately as shown by the letter x in FIG. 5. It will also be noted that the spiral ribs or bars 140, 142 and 144 are wound in the direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the rotary means 118428-.

The bars 142 and 144 are provided respectively with extensions 142s and 1440 which project outwardly over and are secured to the floor 56 of the external feeding means 32. These extensions are instrumental in splitting the incoming crop stream into three narrower streams,- and these streams are guided by the spiral :bars or ribs to the track means for even distribution therein.

Considering now only FIGS. 2-4, the two flights 128 and 130 will pass the feed inlet 50 twice per revolution and thus will take in crops mainly at those intervals. It has been found, especially at low-speed operation, that accumulation of crops occur between intervals and this results in uneven feeding. To overcome this, the auger, according to the present invention, is equipped with additional feed elements, here two sets of shorter members or flights 129 and 131. As respects the direction of rotation of the auger, the short flights 129 are in trailing relation to the lon flights 128 and the short flights 131 are in trailing relation to the long flight 130. The length of each short flight is such that it at least axially bridges the feed inlet 50; i.e., it extends from the righthand end of the auger core 118 toward but terminating short of the track-proximate end of the auger.

Since the short flights are themselves circumferentially spaced about the aguer core, and are interspaced with the long flights, they furnish additional means for taking in and moving crops, functioning to store the crops in smaller increments in the housing until these increments are subsequently picked up and moved with the track by the long flights. This materially smooths out the flow of crops and improves the performance of the ribs 140, 142 and 144.

In the modified form of the invention shown in FIG.7, wherein the basic structure is the same as that of FIGS. 24, the short flights are provided in two sets, one set in trailing relation to each long flight 128' and 130' on an auger core 118'. (Since other structures in FIG. 7 are the same as that described, a few basic reference numerals are used for orientation.)

The set of short members or flights that trail the long flight or blade 128' includes a first short flight 12V and a second longer short flight 129". Similarly, the long flight 130 is trailed by a short flight 131' and a longer short flight 131".

The modified structure in FIGS. 8 and 9 uses a single larger press wheel 204 mounted on a press wheel shaft 208 eccentric to the shaft 220 of an auger core 218. Since there is but a single press wheel, the auger core has a single long flight 228, supplemented by a plurality (here five) short flights 229. The basic die and housing structure is the same as previously described and the numerals 36, 42, 50, 74, 140, 142, and 144 are used for orientation. The single long flight and the several short flights perform in conjunction with the ribs as set forth in connection with FIGS. 2-4 and 7.

Features and advantages other than those enumerated will readily occur to those versed in the art, as will many modifications and alterations in the preferred embodiments disclosed, all of which may be achieved without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a machine for wafering forage crops and the like, the combination of: support means; die means in the form of an annulus fixedly carried by the support means on a generally horizontal axis and including a plurality of circumferentially spaced die cells and an inner peripheral track from which said cells radiate; means including a press wheel arranged eccentrically within the track for orbital movement about the annulus axis so that the periphery of the Wheel substantially rolls on said track; a feed housing alined with the annulus on the axis thereof and having a first end substantially in axial register with the track and a second end spaced axially from the track and further having an annular wall and a feed inlet axially offset from the track toward said second end of the housing and opening laterally for enabling the introduction of forage crops into said housing; and crop control structure in the housing for feeding such crops axially to the track, including rotary means journaled in the housing generally coaxially with the track and in annularly spaced relation to the interior surface of said annular wall and extending from a first portion adjacent to the track to a second portion axially overlapping the feed inlet, and fixed means secured to the interior surface of said wall in at least partially embracing relation to said rotary means, said fixed means including a plurality of axially spaced apart feed control elements directed both axially as well as circumferentially of the housing in the direction of rotation of the rotary means and terminating generally at the track in circumferentially spaced apart relation, said rotary means including a plurality of angular-1y spaced crop-engaging members thereon, at least one of said members being a long member extending lengthwise of said rotary means from said second portion to said first portion thereof and others of said members being short members extending from said second portion toward but terminating short of said first portion.

2. The invention defined in claim 1, in which: said short members are of dilferent axial lengths.

3. The invention defined in claim 2, in which: said short members are arranged in a set including a first short member in circumferentially trailing relation to the long member as respects the direction of rotation of said rotary means and a second short member in circumferentially trailing relation to and longer than said first short member.

4. The invention defined in claim 3, in which: said long member extends axially as well as circumferentially of said rotary means in the direction opposite to the direction of rotation thereof.

5. The invention defined in claim 4, in which: each short member also extends axially as well as circumferentially of said rotary means in the direction opposite to the direction of rotation thereof.

6. The invention defined in claim 1, in which: said short members are of equal axial length.

7. The invention defined in claim 1, in which: said long member extends axially as well as circumferentially of said rotary means in the direction opposite to the direction of rotation thereof.

8. The invention defined in claim 7, in which: each short member also extends axially as well as circumferentially of said rotary means in the direction opposite to the direction of rotation thereof.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,044,391 7/1962 Pellett 107 14 3,063,361 11/1962 Gehrke 100 9s 3,203,367 8/1965 Lamp 107 14 FOREIGN PATENTS 347,637 8/ 1960 Switzerland.

WALTER A. SCHEEL, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A MACHINE FOR WAFERING FORAGE CROPS AND THE LIKE, THE COMBINATION OF: SUPPORT MEANS; DIE MEANS IN THE FORM OF AN ANNULUS FIXEDLY CARRIED BY THE SUPPORT MEANS ON A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL AXIS AND INLCUDING A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED DIE CELLS AND AN INNER PERIPHERAL TRACK FROM WHICH SAID CELLS RADIATE; MEANS INCLUDING A PRESS WHEEL ARRANGED ECCENTRICALLY WITHIN THE TRACK FOR ORBITAL MOVEMENT ABOUT THE ANNULUS AXIS SO THAT THE PERIPHERY OF THE WHEEL SUBSTANTIALLY ROLLS ON SAID TRACK; A FEED HOUSING ALINED WITH THE ANNULUS ON THE AXIS THEREOF AND HAVING A FIRST END SUBSTANTIALLY IN AXIAL REGISTER WITH THE TRACK AND A SECOND END SPACED AXIALLY FROM THE TRACK AND FURTHER HAVING AN ANNULAR WALL AND A FEED INLET AXIALLY OFFSET FROM THE TRACK TOWARD SAID SECOND END OF THE HOUSING AND OPENING LATERALLY FOR ENABLING THE INTRODUCTION OF FORAGE CROPS INTO SAID HOUSING; AND CROP CONTROL STRUCTURE IN THE HOUSING FOR FEEDING SUCH CROPS AXIALLY TO THE TRACK, INCLUDING ROTARY MEANS JOURNALED IN THE HOUSING GENERALLY COAXIALLY WITH THE TRACK AND IN ANNULARLY SPACED RELATION TO THE INTERIOR SURFACE OF SAID ANNULAR WALL AND EXTENDING FROM A FIRST PORTION ADJACENT TO THE TRACK TO A SECOND PORTION AXIALLY OVERLAPPING THE FEED INLET, AND FIXED MEANS SECURED TO THE INTERIOR SURFACE OF SAID WALL IN AT LEAST PARTIALLY EMBRACING RELATION TO SAID ROTARY MEANS, SAID FIXED MEANS INCLUDING A PLUALITY OF AXIALLY SPACED APART FEED CONTROL ELEMENTS DIRECTED BOTH AXIALLY AS WELL AS CIRCUMFERENTIALLY OF THE HOUSING IN THE DIRECTION OF ROTATION OF THE ROTARY MEANS AND TERMINATING GENERALLY AT THE TRACK IN CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED APART RELATION, SAID ROTARY MEANS INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF ANGULARLY SPACED CROP-ENGAGING MEMBERS THEREON, AT LEAST ONE OF SAID MEMBERS BEING A LONG MEMBER EXTENDING LENGTHWISE OF SAID ROTARY MEANS FROM SAID SECOND PORTION TO SAID FIRST PORTION THEREOF AND OTHERS OF SAID MEMBERS BEING SHORT MEMBERS EXTENDING FROM SAID SECOND PORTION TOWARD BUT TERMINATING SHORT OF SAID FIRST PORTION. 